A SHOPLIFTER who had 92 previous convictions stole goods worth more than €2,000 in a two-month thieving spree.
Stacey Considine (42) of St Ita’s Street, St Mary’s Park, pleaded guilty before Limerick District Court to 11 counts of theft in July and August of this year.
The court heard that among the offences were theft of €240 and €419 worth of groceries on separate occasions from Aldi on the Dublin Road, €409 and €472 worth of bedding on separate days from The Range, €193 worth of perfume from McCabe’s Pharmacy, and two legs of lamb from SuperValu in Grove Island.
She also admitted stealing hair straighteners worth €152 from Tesco in Roxboro.
Judge Patricia Harney was told by Inspector Liam Wallace that only a fraction of the goods were recovered.
Ms Considine’s solicitor told the court that the mother of three “has a long standing drug addiction. She has tried to deal with her issues”.
He said that Ms Considine had been abiding by bail conditions including signing on daily at a Garda station, urine analysis, and attending an addiction treatment day programme five days a week.
Judge Harney said the woman before the court “is a very accomplished shoplifter, she’s able to steal bulky goods”.
The Judge said that she has to “take into account her previous record”, which includes 86 convictions for theft, “and the people who are out of pocket”.
“I’m remarkably unsympathetic. She’s 42 and she’s had her chance,” she commented.
Judge Harney sentenced Ms Considine to six months and one week in jail in total on the charges, with two weeks of that sentence to run concurrently.
She agreed to bail on the same conditions which had been previously outlined and Ms Considine’s own bond of €100.
